ARTA - Anc. Ambracia - 2004

Arta (anc. Ambracia), Agiou Vasileiou Street (Nika property). I. Katsadima (ΙΒ' ΕΠΚΑ) reports the discovery of housing and a drainage channel (Fig. 1: 280). West of the channel lay the street wall (and a cross wall) of a Classical house, founded on an earlier, Archaic wall. The house rooms were severely disturbed by Byzantine activity: nonetheless, two (Classical and Hellenistic) building phases were identified, noting also a few Archaic structural remains. At least three rooms of the first phase were identified, adjoining the drainage channel. A stone-built Byzantine pit inside room A obliterated much of its internal arrangement, but a large quantity of Classical and Hellenistic domestic pottery was recovered, along with over 30 loomweights which may indicate the function of the space. In room B too, 20 loomweights were found with domestic pottery: it is unclear whether these weights should be associated with a rectangular structure in the northeast corner of the room. Domestic and cooking pottery was also found in room Γ. Structures in the east part of the plot were almost completely destroyed, although spolia recovered include a stone capital. The function of the isolated room identified, E, cannot be determined. Byzantine walls were located in the south of the plot.

Notable among the pottery was a kotyle with a depiction of a deer and a lion of ca.600BC. Other finds include figurines, bronze attachments, a bronze hook, and 38 bronze coins.